


What You Weren't Looking For

by RileyC



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Din Djarin Needs a Hug, Din Djarin Removes the Helmet, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Canon, Slow Burn, so does cobb
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:35:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28862655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RileyC/pseuds/RileyC
Summary: Cobb Vanth had hung onto a hope he might see the Mandalorian turn up again one day. This wasn't quite what he'd had in mind, though...
Relationships: Din Djarin/Cobb Vanth
Comments: 10
Kudos: 105





	What You Weren't Looking For

**Author's Note:**

> serendipity (n) finding something good without looking for it

“Well now,” Cobb Vanth murmured to himself, “what do we have here?”

Propped against his speeder, Cobb trained his binocs on a speck on the horizon. A speck that was coming in too fast, too erratic. “Slow down, you damn fool. Slow down.”

So far as he knew, no one in Mos Pelgo was expecting visitors. Least he hoped nobody had plans for a family reunion, because if that pilot didn’t correct real soon the ship and anybody on board was going to be scattered over the desert plain.

Cobb blew out a breath, about the only thing stirring the hot, dry air, and felt the tension unwind as the ship finally slowed its approach. Still flying like someone’d had one too many spotchkas, but the pilot steadied her enough as the landing gear came down and ship shuddered to a stop.

All right then, time to earn his pay, paltry sum though it might be. Cobb tucked the binocs away and started toward the ship. He took it slow, hand never far from his blaster as he waited to the hatch to open.

A minute ticked by, then a few more, and his back hairs were starting to rise as the ship stayed silent and still. Something wasn’t right here. 

“Hey, you in the ship! Need some help?”

Could be they couldn’t hear him, couldn’t see him. Could be ought to climb back on his speeder and head on back into town, return with some backup. That’d be the smart thing. Not that he’d ever taken that too much to heart.

All the same, Cobb had about made up his mind to follow through on that excellent idea when the boarding came down and the hatch went up. He stood up straighter, blaster in his hand now, eyes fixed on the top of that ramp.

If there were hostile intentions brewing, whoever it was was taking their sweet time getting around to it. Just about done with the suspense, Cobb took a step forward--and froze as something clanked, and something thudded, and then he felt a smile stretch his face as he caught sight of the Mandalorian standing up there.

“Well, hey, partner!” he called up to the other man. “I’ll be damned. Sure didn’t expect to see you back in these parts this soon.” Or ever, he added to himself. And by ‘soon’ he meant more like nigh on a year by now. Not that he’d kept track. And for certain he had not been pining. Anyone thought that, they could put it right out of their head. So what if, every now and again, a thought might flit across his mind, about how Cobb wouldn’t have minded if the Mandalorian and his kid had stayed a little longer? It wasn’t like he’d made a scrapbook about it.

And, not that Mando had ever shown any inclination to be a chatterbox, but Cobb was thinking the other man might have said something back by now. Not to mention, where was the kid? Little guy ought to have toddled on out way before now.

Hackles raised again, out of concern this time, Cobb stepped closer. “Mando? Hey, you okay there?” Truth be told, the man did look a mite worse for wear. His cape needed mending, and the armor could stand a polish. More than that, Cobb really did lot like the way the Mandalorian swayed a bit, or how the helmet sort of...wobbled (he couldn’t think how else to describe it) as Mando turned toward him.

“Hey, now,” voice gone soft, colored with apprehension, Cobb headed up to meet Mando, one hand stretched out. “You feeling all right? Need some help?”

Yeah, he guessed so, the way the Mandalorian took one uncertain step in his direction and then fell the rest of the way. Cobb caught him best he could. Maybe there was nothing graceful about the way he got them both down the ramp, but at least they wound up on good, solid ground. He settled the Mandalorian in the shade cast by the ship, about as comfortable as he could make him right now. His fingers twitched towards the helmet, hesitated, and pulled back. He gave an armored shoulder a quick pat, told him, “I’ll be right back, partner,” and then scrambled back on up the ramp.

“Kid? Come on out. It’s safe. You remember me, right, the Marshall?” True, they hadn’t had a lot of interaction, but Cobb thought he and the kid had gotten on well enough. He’d sure as hell meant it when he’d given Mando his word to look after the kid if Mando didn’t make it back. “Come on, kid. Your dad needs some lookin’ after, and I can’t leave you out here on your own.” Dang it, where was the little varmint?

Cobb hadn’t missed how this ship wasn’t the old Razor Crest. Made him wonder a lot of things. Some of them gnawed away at him like a hungry womp rat as he thought about the Mandalorian outside, hurt or sick, in some kind of a bad way. Gnawed at him some worse as he searched the ship high and low and couldn’t find any trace of the kid.

Shaking his head, and feeling something an awful lot like grief--for the kid, for the man outside--Cobb secured the ship and made his way back to the Mandalorian. His heart sank some more when he saw the other man sprawled out in the sand, liked he’d tried to get back on his feet but couldn’t make it. Not liking the way that armored form didn’t make a sound, didn’t so much as twitch, Cobb jumped off the ramp and hurried over to him.

Cursing the damn helmet and the creed that kept it in place, Cobb knelt and slipped his fingers around Mando’s neck, feeling for a pulse He could have whooped with relief when he found it, weak but steady. His relief was tempered, though. The skin under his fingers felt too hot, like the man was was burning up with a fever.

“Okay, partner, I’ve got you, you’re gonna be all right,” he told Mando, getting the other man on his feet, and half-dragging, half-carrying him over to the speeder. “I’ve got you,” he repeated, bolstering himself with the words. “We’ll see you right as rain in no time, you just wait. And then you can tell me all about what happened, and how we can fix it. You good with that?”

The Mandalorian made no reply The helmeted head only lolled against Cobb’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I know, partner.” Cobb gave that head a careful pat, made sure the Mandalorian was secure against him, and powered up the speeder. They’d make good time back to Mos Pelgo, and then things would start looking up. He wasn’t going to entertain any other possibility.

***

  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> First time writing anything Star Wars, which is kind of surprising all things considered, but there you go. The Mandalorian presented temptation I could not resist, however.


End file.
